January, freshly hatched and full of possibilities, is traditionally the time for making new year’s resolutions, for grabbing life by the scruff of the neck and feasting on every glorious, complicated second of it. The only problem with this otherwise laudable attitude is that the deep winter garden doesn’t fully lend itself to such an approach.
Dig or even tread heavily on sodden, icy ground for any length of time, for example, and you’ll only damage its structure and soil life, resulting in problems such as poor growth, compaction and waterlogging. Sow seed outdoors in January – the sign of a true optimist – and it will quickly rot. Mulch borders and vegetable beds and you’re only going to lock those cold winter temperatures deep into the soil, slowing down new growth when spring arrives. Even mowing the lawn at this time of year risks harming the sward itself, leaving the grass exposed to frost damage. And woe betide any emerging spring-flowering bulbs poking their snouts through the ground, which are almost certain to be beheaded in the process.
True, it’s a good time of year for winter pruning of roses and certain species of trees and shrubs, but again only so long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. Yes, you can also still plant any remaining spring bulbs languishing forlornly in the garden shed, although the same proviso holds true regarding suitable ground conditions. If it’s an urgent planting task that simply can’t be postponed until the ground improves, then spread your weight by first covering the ground with some planks of wood. But bear in mind that while this will certainly help reduce the damage, it won’t ever prevent it entirely. Damage to soil structure aside, bare-root trees, shrubs and hedging are also vulnerable to damage to their naked root systems when placed in icy, sodden ground.
The point is that these kinds of pressing chores aside, the glory of the January garden is that it asks very little of us other than to sit and dream. Best done indoors in a cosy room, notebook and pen in hand to jot down your thoughts, this is the month, for example, for some internet sleuth work in terms of chasing any hard-to-get varieties that you’ve long lusted after. These could be rare peonies from a far-flung nursery, or a new introduction from a specialist plant breeder in Europe, or a coveted variety of snowdrop from home-grown treasures such as Altamont Plants in Co Carlow. Whatever it is, what’s wonderful is savouring the luxury of having both the time and opportunity to do so.
Your January garden doesn’t care about your new year’s resolutions
My camellia is looking miserable – what am I doing wrong?
How can I keep trees in containers from getting too big for their boots?
A surprising number of its trees will never reach old age in Irish gardens. Here’s how to choose your tree wisely
January is also the month to order seed of flowers (annuals, biennials and perennials), vegetables and potatoes as well as tubers of dahlias and bulbs of summer-flowering species such as lilies and gladiolus while stocks are still high. These may not be delivered until spring (suppliers of summer-flowering bulbs and tubers as well as seed potatoes and onions generally prefer to wait until temperatures rise). But by that stage you’ll be very grateful for pre-ordering them, your energies otherwise consumed with the hundred and one tasks that come with the beginning of the growing season.
If you’re a kitchen gardener, then grab the chance this month to thoughtfully plot crop rotations to help to maximise the health and productivity of your crops. Or maybe plan a new herb patch. Or a soft fruit area. Or a mini orchard. Or consider the enticing possibilities of polytunnel gardening in a world where climate norm are increasingly being upended.
If wildlife gardening is your thing, then maybe this is also the month to contemplate the many ways in which your garden or allotment can be made more diverse in terms of its habitats. Perhaps this could be in the shape of a tiny pond or a natural swimming pool. A mini-meadow, pocket forest, or native hedgerow. Or maybe just something as straightforward as deciding to forego the use of conventional weedkillers or pesticides in favour of more planet-friendly alternatives.
Ponder also the valuable opportunities to upskill that come from learning from recognised experts in the field. Examples include the Laois-based organic gardener Tanguy de Toulgoet who runs a variety of excellent hands-on courses from his home, Dunmore Country School, near Durrow in Co Laois. Or consider booking yourself a ticket for one of the many great garden seminars and festivals taking place this year including the upcoming GLDA seminar; Festival of Gardens & Nature; Carlow Garden Festival; Buds & Blossoms; and Galway Garden Festival. Membership of your local garden club as well as national societies and organisations such as the RHSI and the IGPS also offer plentiful opportunities to learn from the experts through open days, online talks and lectures.
Alternatively, perhaps 2025 will be the year that you decide to keep bees. Or chickens. Or pigs. Or learn how to home-save seed, or how to graft your own apple trees. If so, then check out the series of courses offered by Ballymaloe Organic Farm School, an exciting new venture founded by Darina Allen to help foster traditional homesteading skills.
Whatever you decide, this is the month to reimagine things afresh. January, after all, gets its name from the Roman god, Janus, who looked both forward and back, symbolising both beginnings and endings and a portal from the past into the future, which is something that all gardeners can identify with.
This week in the garden
The fierce cold spell earlier this month was a timely reminder of the benefits of offering vulnerable young seedlings, baby plants and recently rooted cuttings some sort of winter protection in the form of a glasshouse, polytunnel, cold frame, frost-free porch or unheated conservatory, plus a couple of layers of horticultural fleece. When exceptionally low temperatures threaten, a thermostatically controlled anti-frost heater or a heat mat will offer further protection.
Check stores of home-grown root vegetables, apples and dahlia tubers for any early signs of rot and remove any that you find before it spreads. Again, bear in mind that the unusually cold temperatures earlier this month will have heightened the chances of damage.
Dates for your diary
Saturday 25th: Ballykealey House, Ballon, Co Carlow, Annual Snowdrop Gala, ‘Celebrating Snowdrops and Other Spring Treasures’, with guest speakers Keith Wiley of Wildside, Devon and Callum Hallstead, head gardener and snowdrop curator at Cambo Gardens in Scotland, plus specialist plant sales featuring snowdrops from Altamont Plants with Avon Bulbs Collection, Cold Blow Nursery, Assumpta Broomfield, Rosabell Plant Supports and Esker Farm Daffodils.
